Prison for con artist who posed as son of judge, DA

Mark David Leal awaits sentencing on April 23, 2013, for pretending to be the son of then-state District Judge Juanita Vasquez-Garder while scamming a DWI defendant into paying him a $4,200 bribe.

In another case, which was dismissed, Mark David Leal, 37, claimed to be the son of the district attorney.

Photo By Marvin Pfeiffer/ Express-News

Mark David Leal is led away from Judge Ron Rangel's desk following sentencing on April 23, 2013. Leal was on trial for pretending to be the son of then-state District Judge Juanita Vasquez-Garder while scamming a DWI defendant into paying him a $4,200 bribe.

Photo By Marvin Pfeiffer/ Express-News

Mark David Leal is led away from Judge Ron Rangel's desk following sentencing on Tuesday, April 23, 2013. Leal was on trial for pretending to be the son of then-state District Judge Juanita Vasquez-Garder while scamming a gullible DWI defendant into paying him a $4,200 bribe. MARVIN PFEIFFER/ mpfeiffer@express-news.net

Photo By BEXAR COUNTY SHERIFFâ€™S OFFICE

Mark David Leal

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A con artist who, despite numerous face tattoos, managed to convince several men that he was the son of either a local judge or the district attorney, was sentenced Tuesday to two years behind bars for one of the scams.

Claiming that his mother was then-state District Judge Juanita Vasquez-Gardner, Leal said he could have her erase Howard's pending cases for driving while intoxicated and drug possession from the courthouse computer system — for a price.

In another case, dismissed as part of a plea agreement but taken into consideration by state District Judge Ron Rangel as he determined Leal's sentence, Leal allegedly claimed to be the son of District Attorney Susan Reed. He took $5,000 from that man, promising to use his “mother's” political sway to help with an adoption, authorities said.

A third man paid him $1,000 in an attempt to have him erase a hit-and-run case, according to court documents. Leal was also caught on tape telling a police officer he was Vasquez-Gardner's son, to no avail, during a DWI arrest.

The swindles began to unravel in September 2011, after Vasquez-Gardner received a letter at her home in which the sender threatened to “choose an alternative route” or “open up a new can of worms” if her son didn't give him his money back. The judge, not knowing what he was talking about — or, for that matter, having an adult son — handled the letter with tweezers and immediately contacted police.

Investigators traced the stamp on the letter to an automated machine and identified Howard through surveillance video and his debit card. Howard, who pleaded guilty this month to a federal charge of threatening the judge, immediately cooperated with police.

Howard told investigators that he did worry at times that Leal's courthouse pedigree might be a scam but that the lure of having a “clean slate” was “overpowering.” While Leal refused to bring a photo of him with the judge, Howard said he looked up Vasquez-Gardner's photo online and believed they were related because they have similar noses.

Under terms of Leal's plea agreement, prosecutors remained silent Tuesday as he asked for probation.

“What I did was pure stupidity,” Leal said, apologizing to Judge Rangel. “This has been a horrible experience, and I'm doing my best to make it right. I'm ashamed.”

But Leal's attitude was more cocky and dismissive prior to his sentencing hearing, the judge said, lamenting that the maximum sentence for the theft charge is two years in a state jail.

“You didn't just use (Vasquez-Gardner's) name. You put her in danger. You get that, right?” Rangel said. “What you did is so much worse than (theft).”

Neither Vasquez-Gardner, who was voted out of office in November, nor Reed attended the hearing.